Smoky Aubergine with Ginger

Another winning (and very healthy) recipe from Rick Stein, whose book 'India' is a bit legendary. The version here is less 'smoky' than it would be if you cooked / charred the aubergines directly on the flame of your hob; but I am slightly lazy sometimes, and flinging the aubergine in the oven wrapped in foil is much easier and just as tasty by the time it's in the curry...

Ingredients

1 Augerbine

250g ish Onions

5cm Ginger

5 Cloves Garlic

350g Chopped Tomatoes

Half tsp Salt

Half tsp Chilli Powder

Half tsp Garam Masala

Pre-heat the oven to 200˚c. Pierce the Aubergine and then wrap it in foil. Cook for 30 – 40 minutes until soft… (You could also cook the Aubergine directly over the flame of your gas hob, or on a griddle plan; in both cases don’t wrap it in foil….)

Heat some oil in a pan and when hot, fry 250g sliced Onions for around 10 minutes, over a gentle heat

While the Onions are cooking, very finely chop or crush the Ginger and Garlic

When the Onions are soft, add the Ginger and Garlic and cook for 2 minutes before adding 350g chopped fresh Tomatoes, half a tsp Salt and half a tsp of Chilli Powder

Cook for 5 minutes or until slightly reduced

Chop the cooked and now squashy Aubergine into small chunks and add to the Curry in the pan with half a tsp Garam Masala

Heat through and serve immediately with some chopped fresh Coriander and some rice or bread…

This recipe is from Rick Stein’s ‘India’ – a very usable publication indeed